Former President George Bush, an angry father, took on Arab critics of son President George W. Bush during a testy exchange at a leadership conference. A woman in the audience told the former president: "We do not respect your son. We do not respect what he's doing all over the world." Mr. Bush, 82, appeared stunned at first as the audience whooped and whistled in approval, then replied sharply: "My son is an honest man." When a college student told Mr. Bush that U.S. wars were aimed at opening markets for American companies and that globalization was contrived for America's benefit at the expense of the rest of the world, Mr. Bush shot back: "I think that's weird, and it's nuts. To suggest that everything we do is because we're hungry for money, I think that's crazy. I think you need to go back to school." ... http://www.washingtontimes.com

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has told a debate in parliament that he regards the province of Quebec as a "nation within Canada". Mr Harper was responding to a motion by Quebec separatists that MPs should "recognise Quebeckers form a nation". Francophone Quebec has previously held two referendums on separation, in 1980 and 1995, but rejected the idea. Mr Harper's Conservatives won Canada's general election in January to end 12 years of Liberal rule. Analysts say the motion is proving problematic for federalists. An acceptance would encourage talks towards separatism but a rejection could bolster the separatists' belief that their aspirations are being ignored. On Wednesday, Mr Harper backed the notion that the House of Commons should "recognise that Quebeckers constitute a nation within a united Canada". He said: "The real question is simple: do Quebeckers make up a nation of their own in a united Canada? The answer is yes...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6174986.stm

The U.S. Marine Corps may need to grow to sustain commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan and remain ready for other crises, the force's new commander said on Wednesday. Gen. James Conway also said he saw a mismatch between the views of his troops and those of American civilians on the time needed to train Iraqi forces and the nature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Conway said the Marines' present strength of around 180,000 troops was sufficient for peacetime but he added: "Where the force is engaged and is more stressed, I think that that number needs to somewhat be more variable."Commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan meant the Marines were well below their target of allowing units to spend 14 months at home for every seven-month deployment, Conway said....http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061122/ts_nm/usa_marines_dc

Rare Abyssinian lion cubs are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia and sold to taxidermists because there isn't enough money to care for the animals, the facility's administrator said Wednesday. Famous for their black manes, the lions are revered in Ethiopia, adorning statues and the national currency. Wildlife experts estimate only 1,000 of the animals, which are smaller than other lions, remain in the wild. “These animals are the pride of our country, but our only alternative right now is to send them to the taxidermist,” said Muhedin Abdulaziz, who heads the Lion Zoo in the capital, Addis Ababa. The zoo costs about $6,000 to run each month, but gets only $5,000 in entrance fees, he said. Taxidermists pay $170 for a dead cub, which is stuffed and resold, Abdulaziz said. Hunters also kill wild lions for their skins, which can fetch $1,000....http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/22/world/main2207175.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2207175

One person's DNA code can be as much as 10 % different from another's, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that questions the idea that everyone on Earth is 99.9 % identical genetically. They said their new version of the human genetic map, or "book of life," fills in many missing pages and chapters to explain how genes are involved in common diseases. "This important work will help identify genetic causes of many diseases," Dr. Mark Walport, director of Britain's Wellcome Trust, said in a statement. Instead of showing single variations in human DNA that make people unique, the map looks at differences in duplications and deletions of large DNA segments known as copy number variants or CNVs, which can help explain why some people are susceptible to illnesses such as AIDS and others are not. "We're a patchwork of DNA sequences, gains and losses," Dr. Charles Lee of the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts told a news conference...http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061122/ts_nm/science_genes_dc

Some people use scarecrows to chase away birds, or garlic to block vampires. Rick Froebe uses toilets to repel golfers. Froebe has erected a backyard "fence" made of seven old toilets, a few used bathtubs and some broken-down water heaters, all designed to prevent golfers from the adjacent Lakeview Golf & Country Club from approaching his yard. While critics say Froebe is acting out in a dispute with the golf course and other neighbors, the plumber insists his fence is not meant to be offensive. "It's plumber art," Froebe, 52, said. Besides, he added, "It's not like this is Pebble Beach. This is Lakeview." On Monday, three scarecrow-like dummies sat on toilets and looked on as golfers finished their putts on the 354-yard, par-4 first hole. The old commodes, bathtubs and water heaters first appeared on Halloween. Froebe, co-owner of Coulee Dam/Ephrata Plumbing, used to belong to the golf club, but resigned in May in a dispute with other members. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2674278